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Sha Gojyo
Sha Gojyo (沙悟浄) is a hanyou , a cross between a youkai and a human, and uses the Shakugetsujou, a metal weapon staff with a sickle and chain, as his primary weapon. Background Born of a human mother and a youkai father (which means he is a 'child of taboo'), Gojyo was raised by his unstable stepmother (Dokugakuji's mother), a full-blood youkai and his father's legal wife, who abused Gojyo because of his hanyou status and her anger at her husband's infidelity. (It is not revealed in the anime or manga what happened to the father or the human mistress, who is Gojyo's mother; however, in the "Sayuubito" volume Minekura revealed that they had committed suicide together.) Gojyo bonded deeply with his half-brother, who was known at that time as Sha Jien. Jien tried to help Gojyo by minimizing the abuse his brother had to endure, usually by sleeping with his mother to calm her down. However, when his mother was about to kill Gojyo one day, Jien killed her to protect Gojyo. Jien left, unable to stand the pain of killing his own mother, leaving his brother and name behind. He became one of Kougaiji's trusted servants, pledging his loyalty and using the name Dokugakuji. Abandoned at a young age, Gojyo searched for his brother while living a punk life. It was during this time that he met Banri, a youkai, who taught him the ways of the street. They were inseparable, until Banri got into too much trouble and fled, leaving Gojyo alone (this may have happened more than once, as Gojyo seems to expect his return). After he left, Gojyo managed to settle down in a small town, supporting himself by gambling at cards, and filling in his loneliness with booze and women. On his way home from a bar, alone, he stumbled across what he thought at first was a corpse. In fact it was Hakkai (then known as Gonou), grieviously injured, lying in the middle of the road. Gojyo helped him, taking him to his house, securing medical care for him, and letting him stay while he healed. He didn't ask him any questions about what had happened, but right when Gonou was about to tell him everything, including his name, Sanzo appeared. He was searching for Cho Gonou to bring him to the Three Aspects for punishment. Though Gojyo was able to honestly claim he knew no such man--as he'd never heard Gonou's name--he intuited from Sanzo's words that his guest was indeed the wanted man. There was a fight, ending with Gonou fleeing. Sanzo and Goku went in pursuit, followed by Gojyo, who was concerned for the mysterious man who he had helped. After Gonou was arrested, Sanzo obliquely told him that him that Gonou was dead, and Gojyo cut his hair. In fact, Gonou was alive--he had taken on a new identity, Cho Hakkai, and asked to move in with Gojyo. Gojyo was happy to comply and they continued to live together for several years, until they accompanied Sanzo and Goku on the trip west. Personality Because he is a halfbreed, Gojyo gets labeled everywhere he goes. Called a child of taboo and unclean by those who recognize his origins, Gojyo hides the pain and discomfort this causes with sly remarks and laughs. Though most people label him before ever getting to know him, Gojyo doesn't let people's opinions stop him. He's the only member of the group with street smarts, though he often seems to be asking for death by teasing Sanzo. One of his hobbies is picking on Goku, and because the two can be childish, they argue almost constantly. The only time he keeps his mouth shut is when someone - usually Hakkai - is either seriously hurt or angry. Otherwise he is quick to crack a joke and says whatever comes to mind. He is slightly vain of his good looks and strong physique, and has been shown working out with hand weights between battles, claiming that "ladies will cry if I don't keep my temple sculpted". Though he boasts frequently of his conquests and his sex appeal, in reality his seductions seldom seem to work out, which he accepts philosophically. He is always kind to children and will go far out of his way to protect them, even when they appear as enemies to the ikkou. Gojyo is an avid smoker, usually seen smoking even more than Sanzo. Sanzo appears to dislike Gojyo's brand of cigarettes, putting one in his mouth and taking it out almost instantly (Volume 1 Saiyuki Reload). He is also seen as a 'womanizer' by most people and a 'pervert' by Goku. Gojyo even claims that he is going to die in the arms of a beautiful woman, and that dying on the way West is not an option. While most of the group usually frowns upon his dirty jokes/inappropriate manner, they see him as "a dependable big brother" and an irreplaceable companion, as noted when he leaves and the group goes to search for him. Weapon Gojyo yields a weapon known as a shakujo. In a bonus chapter of Reload, it is seen that he acquired this unique weapon by breaking the jar it was sealed in. This weapon comes to Gojyo when called and is a long staff with a crescent moon-shaped blade at one end and a wide spade-shaped blade at the other. Although always called a shakujo in the series, it is actually a variation on a yueyachan ("crescent moon spade" or "monk's spade") , the weapon carried by his origin character, Sha Wujing/Friar Sand, in the original Journey to the West. It can come apart and extend due to the chain concealed in the hollow part of the staff. This allows Gojyo to fight enemies a good distance away. The shakujo has been dented and broken periodically through the series - such as when Gojyo fought Goku in his Sage form - but whenever he calls the staff to his hand, it is always in perfect condition. Trivia *So far, Gojyo has acquired many nicknames in the series, most of them being invented by Goku on the spot. They mostly have to do with him being a Kappa, due to his youkai heritage (most commonly 'erokappa' , oversexed kappa; actually spelled 'erogappa' due to Japanese linguistic rules) and a cockroach (gokiburi) due to his ridiculously long life line and the fact that the two long strands of hair above his forehead resemble the bug's antenna. Sanzo has used this last as well, and even Hakkai has made humorous reference to it (when Gojyo remarked that Kougaiji was as hard to kill as a cockroach, Hakkai replied "and if another of the same species says so it must be true"). *When it comes to women and children that are in a tight pinch, Gojyo will do everything he can to help. Hakkai has commented several times that his kind heart tends to draw him into trouble. *Gojyo's preferred cigarette brand is Hi-Lite. *''Gojyo's clothes got changed in Saiyuki Reload 4.1 apparently because of Hakkai's mischievousness saying "... as long as we are changing clothes we might as well update our wardrobe.". The whole group never vouched for it and got "different" clothings. This results Gojyo's new clothes.'' Category:Main Characters Category:Characters